Man in 50s flown to hospital after reported shark attack in waters off Lady Elliot Island in Qld

A man has been flown to hospital after being attacked by a shark while snorkelling in the waters off Lady Elliot Island, just off the coast of Queensland. A Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) spokeswoman said the man sustained a deep laceration to his arm and superficial lacerations to his abdomen and hand following the attack, which occurred about 8.15am on Thursday. The man was part of a group of three who were snorkelling off the western side of the island, Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort said in a statement. Lady Elliot Island is a small coral cay on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, where every guest arrives by small plane and kicks off their visit with a glass bottom boat and guided snorkel tour. One of the purposes of a guided snorkel tour for all visitors is that tourists quickly learn the important dos and don’ts. In addition to guests staying on the island, a maximum of 100 people can visit for the day. The man was flown to Bundaberg Base Hospital in a stable condition. Lady Elliot Island confirmed the trio of men first swam ashore and alerted staff of the shark bite. They were not guests at the resort, a spokeswoman said. “Lady Elliot Island staff provided immediate assistance, stabilised the man and helped coordinate an emergency response,” the spokeswoman continued. “Lady Elliot Island has closed the western snorkelling zones until further notice. It is not known what type of shark was involved. “Resort staff and marine shark experts are monitoring the closed snorkel zone and all in-house resort guests have been informed. “Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort has notified all relevant authorities.” The pristine tourist destination is the most remote Great Barrier Reef island regularly accessed, so instead of boats transporting visitors, it relies on small aircraft. The island is owned by the Commonwealth of Australia and is managed under a collaborative lease arrangement with Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, an eco-tourism business run by the Gash family. Permission to access the island is only granted by the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, with no other flight access permitted. Guests can fly from the Gold Coast (about 100 minutes), Brisbane (about 80 minutes), and from the much closer destinations of Hervey Bay (about 40 minutes) and Bundaberg (about 30 minutes). More to come.